1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a method for inputting a character in a terminal, and more particularly to an apparatus and method for inputting a character, by which it is possible to easily input a character in a touch screen-equipped terminal.
2. Description of the Related Art
In order to overcome the problem of carrying of a general keyboard and a mouse, an input window in a keyboard shape is usually displayed on a touch screen so as to receive an input through a pen click or touch. Examples of devices including this type of interface include an electronic scheduler, a cellular phone, a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), or the like.
A touch screen provides an interface in which a user touches an icon, a touch keypad, etc. displayed on a screen using a finger, a stylus, or the like so the user can input a command or a character in a terminal. As the terminals have been reduced in size and weight, similar reductions in the touch screen cannot be avoided.
FIG. 1 illustrates a conventional touch keypad displayed on a screen and designed for miniature displays.
Referring to FIG. 1, the touch screen of the terminal is divided into a character input window 10 for displaying an input character and a touch keypad 20 for receiving a touch input from a user. The touch keypad 20 generally employs the keyboard arrangement scheme common to a personal computer. However, when all of the keys of the keyboard are desired to be displayed, an area to which each key button may be allocated is relatively small due to the limited size of the touch screen.
As described above, when the user inputs a character using a finger through the conventional touch screen, the user presses a small button on the keyboard that is displayed in the miniaturized touch screen. Accordingly, the minimum key size should be approximately the size of a fingertip.
Further, a method for quickly and easily inputting a character while decreasing the number of characters displayed on a current screen has been demanded. However, there is tension between offering a large number of characters and displaying them at a size large enough to be easily accessed. Therefore, a method for improving a problem in the touch input while overcoming the size limitation of the touch screen has been demanded. Further, according to the increased interest in the design of various user interfaces, it is necessary to satisfy the demand for a novel user interface in an aesthetic, easy-to-use manner.